Flight of the White Hat
by Swagnarok
Summary: A third party infiltrates the Men in Black, critically threatening both them and Shinichi, requiring their new no. 1 agent/high school detective to travel to Hong Kong to find and silence that individual before it's too late. Episodes 1017-1019.
1. Chapter 1

_Taking shelter from the rain beneath the canopy raised above the entrance to the now closed_ L'Etincelle _, which had been a French restaurant that closed about two years ago, she took another good look at the phone in her hand._

 _It was a Samsung Galaxy S10, by this time two or three years dated but still nicer than any phone she'd ever had._

 _She looked up at the rain._

 _Should I call her? she wondered, referring to her grown daughter, a successful realtor. Do I really want to bother her with this now?_

 _Having been diagnosed with severe Bipolar Disorder from a young age, she got pregnant at 17 and dropped out of high school. Unable to hold a job for more than a month or so, the state took her kid from her. She also ended up burning all bridges with her immediate family, so she was left with no one and nothing to shield her from the harsh realities of the street._

 _She was only 48, but she looked much older than that. Maybe even 60. Probably the only thing she had going for her was that, with as much walking as she did every day, she was in reasonably good shape._

 _Well, that and the phone._

 _With this she could make phone calls to whoever, or use it to surf the internet, for the next six months. Or at least, that's what that certain person told her._

 _She hesitated: the phone had been given to her for no cost, but her benefactor had one string attached:_

 _"For the first three days do not call or text anybody with this phone," he had instructed her._

 _That was yesterday._

 _But what kind of person was he? Apparently he had deleted all of his texts, received and sent, and cleared his internet browsing history, before handing it to her._

 _Did he have something to hide? she couldn't help but wonder._

 _She put the phone back in her coat pocket._

 _No, she thought. He gave me this for free, only asking that one little bitty thing in return. I can wait another day or two._

 _*urmph urmph urmph*_

 _Purring, a grey alley cat went up to her. She gently stroked its neck, back, and tail._

 _Looks like I'm not the only one in need of some companionship, she thought with a smile._

 _And then, the cat paused, and then suddenly scampered off. She looked up: a person was headed her way._

 _It was a man, tall and slim, dressed in all black, with long flowing silver hair and a cigarette in his mouth. Accompanying him was another man, chubbier, wearing sunglasses and probably bald. Both had black hats._

 _Their names, or course, were Gin and Vodka._

 _Gin stopped about two front in front of the woman._

 _"...It's here," Gin said, putting his phone in his pocket._

 _The woman stood up and took a step back._

 _"Who are you?" she demanded. "I don't have any money on me, but all the goodies here are mine, you hear me? I'm ready to defend my territory with all I've got! I don't look like much but I'm quite the fighter! Even took on the Shinjuku Scrappy Boys once, I'm proud to say."_

 _"...Hey,_ Aniki _, any idea what she's talking about?" Vodka asked._

 _"No clue," Gin said, flicking his finished cigarette on the ground. "Hey, lady, do you have a smartphone on you?"_

 _"Y-Yeah?"_

 _"May I see it?"_

 _She shook her head. "I'm not letting anybody take from me what's mi-_

 _Before she could respond Gin reached into her pocket and took her phone out._

 _He turned it on and examined it._

 _"Is that the one?" Vodka asked._

 _"Who gave this to you?" Gin asked coolly._

 _She shrugged. "Some gent who ran off in a hurry. Didn't catch his name."_

 _Gin gave her the phone back. "Thank you for your time, ma'am."_

 _Ma'am? Vodka thought, confused at Gin's very out of character way of wording that._

 _The woman, quite uncomfortable around this strange man with the steely eyes of a killer, turned around and began to walk away._

 _Gin looked in all directions, and then:_

 _*pew*_

 _He tucked the smoking silenced gun back in his belt. He stood over the fresh corpse, crouched down, and retrieved the phone._

 _"We don't want this falling into the wrong hands," Gin said. "Who knows what data might still be recoverable from it?"_

 _"So this was just...a diversion?" Vodka asked._

 _"Pretty much, yeah. He knew the first thing we'd do was to track the whereabouts of his phone, so he acted accordingly. That person has a 24 hour head start on us. To even begin the chase, we're gonna need a blood hound to pick up the trail. I still don't fully trust that runt, but..."_

 _He turned to Vodka. "Our work here's done. Let's move."_

 _"Huh? We're not gonna dispose of the body?" Vodka asked._

 _"We have bigger priorities," Gin said. "I must make a report to the Boss right away."_

 **Opening**

(Angel Night by Psy-S, an opening to City Hunter, performed here by Garnet Crow)

(To act decisively is a prerequisite to victory! Seize the day or die trying! An assignment overseas! A summoning by the people I hate to carry out my biggest mission yet! Working with my allies can we turn this into a major blow to the Men in Black? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is DETECTIVE CONAN!)

 _I_ _rumine shon mashita ni mioroshi_

 _Yoru wo nobotte ku ESCALATOR_

 _Kooritsuita BIRU no tanima wo_

 _HEADLIGHT no kawa ga nagareru_

 _Saisho ni suki ni natta no wa koe_

 _Sore kara senaka to totonoerareta yubisuki_

 _Tokidoki damarigachi ni naru kuse_

 _Dokoka e itte shimau kokoro to MELODY_

 _ANGEL VOICE na wo yonde mimi sumasu ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE kaze ni chiru hanabira to KISS_

 _ANGEL VOICE atarashii natsukashii ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE isogazu ni ari no mama KISS_

 **Flight of the White Hat! Part One!**

*click*

Well, it's been a month, Conan thought. Maybe he won't still be-

"YA MORON! WHODAHECKDYA think you are?!"

Nope, he's still mad, Conan thought with a groan. "H-Hey..."

"Don't you 'hey' me, Kudo!" Heiji's irritated voice said. "What were you thinking, trying to play matchmaker? I thought I made it clear that I didn't want things between us to become serious under conditions like those there."

"Well it worked out for you just fine in the end, didn't it?" Conan countered. "You and Kazuha are a couple now...wait, don't tell me that it's-

"Nah, we're both doing good," Heiji said. "She keeps dragging me out to couples' spots and stuff. Well, it's not like I don't enjoy it when we go on dates, but..."

"But nothing," Conan said with a casual shrug. "You could've kicked things off with her a long time ago if you just weren't so petty. Trying to outdo what I said to Ran in London: does everything between us have to be some kind of contest?"

"Darn right it does! And of all things Osakans are better at love than you uptight Tokyoites."

That's a new one to me, Conan thought with a deadpan look. "So...did you really just call to chew me out?"

"No," Heiji said, more serious now. "You haven't called me in a month. What's going on? Last time ya told me about that girl who used to be in your class but now's in jail."

"Naomi?"

"Yeah. Any updates on dat?"

"Um, yeah," Conan said. "I met with the prosecutor and her lawyer to try and hammer out a lenient plea bargain for her. But really, I haven't had a whole lot of time to devote to that matter."

"Why? There been a lot of cases in the past month?"

"Actually, no. It's been unusually quite in that regard," Conan said. "I'm actually starting to worry Uncle's gonna start going through withdrawal if I don't tranq him sometime soon."

Heiji laughed. "Well, I got you beat there. I've had three big cases since Aokigahara."

"Really? I would've thought you'd want to spend all your time with Kazuha."

"I do," Heiji said with an exasperated sigh. "But whaddya expect me to do? Just ignore a case when one just comes up outta nowhere and lands on my lap?"

"Colorful metaphor."

"Thanks. But as for my question, what is it that's taken up so much of your attention this past month?"

"Huh? Surely you haven't forgotten that I'm working undercover within the Organization?"

"Oh yeah. Heavy stuff. What about that? It demanding all your time?"

Conan nodded. "Things have really heated up lately. Their calls used to be rather infrequent, and I had a lot of free time, especially when you throw in how laughably not hard primary (elementary) school is.. But this whole past month they've stuck me with one heck of a Herculean labor."

"Oh? Details or I'm calling bull."

"What? Why would you...*sigh* never mind. To make kind of a long story short, there's somebody they asked me to investigate. Or, rather, find. The catch is, the guy in question was living under a fake name. Despite that he somehow managed to gain the trust of the Organization. And then recently he ran off with a flashdrive containing an estimated six gigabytes of sensitive into on the Men in Black. Including the names of all of their operatives, past and present."

"Including you," Heiji surmised.

Conan nodded. "Needless to say, I've taken this assignment very seriously. Elena-san is adamant something like this shouldn't fall into the hands of law enforcement or a government. Says she has some master plan which could be derailed by this. And in any case, I have to get my hands on that drive...as far as anybody knows, Higo-san is dead, and that drive might contain the fact I'm the one who originally killed him. In that event, as nobody could know the real truth behind what happened, I could be facing charges for first degree murder. I will not under any circumstances let my life end like this, or rather, I cannot..."

"So your man," Heiji said, trying to keep Kudo out this dark frame of mind. "Did you find him?"

"I did, after an insane amount of investigating. Well, I have to give some credit to Haibara and the Professor."

"I see. Are they gonna make you do the...you know?"

Conan sighed. "Yeah. Amuro, representing the Council, told me this is my big test as to whether I'm fit to use the codename Rum. So there's probably no way out of it for me. Well, I talked to Elena-san about it and she agreed that her people would have him revived and relocated later."

"And if the day should come that this is not possible?"

"I...would rather just not have to think about that..."

"Just saying. Whether they can be revived or not, don't get comfortable with what you're being made to do," Heiji said.

"Never," Conan vowed. "If I was made to do it a hundred times I'd never feel comfortable about taking a life, for any length of time, for any reason. In any case, I'm gonna give Elena-san's people a head start, so they can get to Hong Kong first and be ready as soon as the deed is don-

"Wait, what? Did you say Hong Kong?"

"Yeah, that's where our man is," Conan said. "I'm going to China."

 **Scene Transition**

 _The lights went out in the Aohashi Convention Center; thanks to the room's massive size, sporting a seating capacity in excess of 18,000, this produced a kind of surreal yet subtle effect._

 _"Hailing from the land of Confucius and panda bears, ladies and gentlemen give a big round of applause for the Zodiac Traveling Circus!"_

 _And then, there was a brilliant whirling flame. The light shone on a man dressed like a male ballerina, a flaming baton in hand, spinning it to and fro in a highly choreographed manner, even tossing and catching it. Overhead, a woman was suspended up in the air by some kind of wire or trapeze, and she began spinning like a pole dancer on steroids, up and down, left and right, a combination of these, slowly descending._ _A man on a unicycle boldly juggling daggers and even one big sword. A woman on a tightrope spinning plates balanced on sticks._

 _In short, it was exactly the kind of awesomeness you'd expect from a Chinese circus._

 _Ayumi, Mitsuhiko, Genta, and the Professor clapped eagerly at the spectacle._

 _Haibara turned to look as Shiro sat back down beside her._

 _"You were in there a long time," she said._

 _"I was going number two," he said. "Or at least I tried to. Nothing was coming out so I just called it quits."_

 _She smirked. "What's the matter? Too many other people? Can't perform under pressure?"_

 _He scoffed. "No way I could've survived several years of pro soccer were that the case."_

 _She stared at him, dumbfounded that he'd say something like that._

 _Or maybe she heard him wrong? It was pretty loud in here, after all._

 _"...Yeah, I know that you know, and I'm pretty sure I know who you really are," Shiro said casually, leaning back in his seat and putting his feet up. "Just got tired of keeping up this pointless charade. You can tell the FBI if you want. Doesn't matter. I've known for well over two weeks, assuming they did *that* thing to me."_

 _He looked up at her and saw that mortified look on her face._

 _"Pfft, don't act so surprised," he said. "If they were able to shrink me to a kid's body then it really doesn't take much of a leap for me to suspect they did the same to you. I heard you ran away from the Organization. What happened? Did Kudo's associates capture you too? Are you a prisoner like me?"_

 _He even knows about Kudo-kun? Haibara realized._

 _She calmed herself, and said:_

 _"What are you talking about? Shiro-kun, you're not making sense."_

 _He shrugged. "Keep that up if you want. But I'm not your enemy. They say I ran away from the Organization too. Not sure if that's true or not, but I don't wanna take a chance with my life by showing my face to them, and at any rate if they find out I was in enemy hands then they're inevitably gonna wonder whether or not I squealed or turned. Might be rather hard to convince them I didn't. So for the time being I'm stuck here, hanging around little kids and watching Saturday morning cartoons."_

 _He turned towards the three Detective Boys, who were all fixated on the show and didn't hear a word of what was being said here._

 _"Looks like you've grown rather fond of them," he noted. "And the Professor too. It's understandable, I guess. It must be eating you up inside, having such a dangerous, unpredictable person as myself around them all the time."_

 _Haibara tensened up, half expecting some kind of threat to follow._

 _"Well, for what it's worth I'm fond of them too," Shiro said with a smile. "And I'm guessing that's why you haven't said anything. About that person hanging around the school. You want to keep them safe, out of this giant mess we call our old lives. Our past that we just can't seem to shake, can we?"_

 _Again, Haibara said nothing, not wanting to confirm what at this time had to be just a suspicion on his part._

 _He shifted his eyes uncomfortably and then leaned in close to her._

 _"W-What are you-_

 _"Not too terribly long ago, I wouldn't bat an eye about threatening you, threatening them," Shiro whispered. "Especially in the pursuit of self-preservation. But I like to think that that's not who I am anymore."_

 _"...Spare me the crap," Haibara said, angrily breaking her facade. "What do you want, a medal? A pat on the back? You haven't changed one bit from who you were before, because scumbags don't change. You were the Number Two of that Organization. You gunned down people in cold blood. You made widows, orphans. I'll bet you went home at night and got a good night's sleep after each time you made a new victim."_

 _"And you think I had a choice? You made a murderous drug, because that's exactly what they wanted you to do. How are you any different from me?"_

 _She was silent._

 _"The way I see it, we're both terrible people," he said. "Let's just own up to it, and hope that there's still hope yet for scumbags like the both of us, somewhere in this world or beyond."_

 **Scene Transition**

Torishima-sensei blew his whistle. Accordingly, the students on his team, as opposed to those on Kobayashi-sensei's, huddled.

"Alright, it looks like we're down three points now," he said calmly. "That they have Shiro-kun on their team seems to be the deciding factor, to absolutely no one's surprise."

Conan looked over at Shiro, who on the other side of the field was casually dribbling a ball with his knees and head.

That smug b****rd, Conan thought, teed off.

"In any case," Torishima continued, "this time you need to try and outmaneuver Shiro-kun so as to keep him away from the ball, and Conan-kun can handle the rest. What I'm about to repeat to you is the plan of attack."

He whispered it to them. It apparently took him a long time to explain, because before too long Kobayashi walked up to them and said:

"Hey, are you guys about ready yet?"

"Just about," Torishima promised.

As soon as Kobayashi left he turned to Conan. "Can I count on you?"

Conan nodded.

"Very good. Now go out there and give it your one hundred percent!"

And with that the game resumed.

The ball was put in the middle of the field, and the whistle was blown.

Shiro ran towards the ball, and once again he got his hands (or rather, feet) on it before anyone else could. But then he found himself surrounded from all sides. He saw an opening to a teammate (Genta) and kicked it to him.

But then Conan intercepted the ball with his head, which sent it flying several feet. Disregarding his aching head he ran to claim it before anyone else could.

But then Nancy, who was on Kobayashi's team, got it first. She began to run towards the other team's goal.

Conan dashed after her, managed to kick the ball a few feet out, got very slightly in front of her, and-

*thud*

Both of them ended up on the ground.

"Aah...!"

Gripping his ankle he sat upright, bending forward slightly, clenching his teeth and shutting his eyes.

Torishima and Kobayashi came running up to him.

"Hey, Conan-kun, are you hurt?" Kobayashi asked, concerned.

"No!" he blurted out. "Nancy, what the heck?! You tripped me! I think my ankle's twisted!"

"I-I'm sorry," Nancy managed, looking down at the ground. "It was an accident..."

"Alright, this game's over," Torishima said. "Conan-kun, do you need me to take you to the nurse's office?"

"Yes please...uhh!"

 **Scene Transition**

Torishima slid the door open and set Conan down on the examination table.

There was a _Caution: Wet Floor_ sign, and the door to an adjacent room was cracked open.

Iroha Namiki, upon hearing the door open, turned around to see Torishima-sensei.

"This boy hurt his leg," Torishima said. "If you could just take a look at..."

And then he realized: Namiki was staring at him intently, with clear hostility, her fists clenched, her breathing irregular.

"Ma'am is something wrong?" Torishima asked.

"...No, it's nothing," she said. "You just seem very much like somebody I was warned about."

"Oh?" Torishima said. "And why would you feel the need to be wary of me? I've done nothing wrong."

"One must wonder."

Torishima sighed. "I see what this is. I've come across people like you before. They didn't scare me then, nor you now. Just know that I'm here to stay, until the time that my job here is complete."

They stood there silently, staring at each other, waiting to see who would blink first.

"*ahem*, Namiki-sensei?" Conan asked.

This was enough to break her gaze from Torishima and have her pay her attentions towards Conan instead.

"Well, I'd better be getting back to my students," Torishima said, turning around and closing the door behind him as he left.

 **Scene Transition**

"Again, I'm so sorry," Nancy said. "Didn't think that I'd-

"Gah. I still have a couple days before the trip so it should be fine," Conan said, walking with a limp. "In any case, you did your job. I think the timing could've been better, but whatever. It all worked out the way I hoped, with the obvious exception of my ankle."

"Have you decided what you're going to tell them?" Nancy asked. "To cover for your absence. Ai-chan said she can't skip another day of school."

"I already got my mom to cover it," Conan said. "She's gonna talk to Uncle and tell him she wants to take me somewhere for a couple days."

"Where?"

"Well I don't know! Figured she'll think of something. She is a world-famous actress, after all."

"I see. And you already ordered a plane ticket?"

"Yeah," Conan said. "My flight leaves in four days. I couldn't order a ticket under I managed to get a Hong Kong visa, so there was that. I already informed both Elena-san and the Organization of this. The latter was quite unhappy that I should've had to put this off so long, but...yeah."

They made it back to the Mouri Residency. Nancy helped Conan up the stairs and then he crashed on the living room couch.

 **Five Hours Later**

The credits rolled on the movie length finale of _Attack On Titan._

"Huh, they were all in purgatory the entire time," Conan noted, sitting up straight on the couch. "Could've just told us that from the beginning and saved us eight years of our lives that we're never getting back."

There was a knock on the door. Conan got up, hobbled across the room, and opened it.

It was Mitsuhiko.

Conan stepped aside so Mitsuhiko could enter.

"Hey," the freckled boy said. "Where's Nancy?"

"She went with Auntie Eri to buy some groceries," Conan said. "Uncle's out investigating a cheating husband. So right now I'm holding down the fort, or so to speak. What's this about? Did you want to ask me about something?"

"Um, yes. Have you gotten everything packed yet?"

"Huh? For what?" Conan asked.

"What else? The big trip to Hong Kong!"

Upon hearing this Conan did, in spite of his injury, and in spite the fact that he was dealing with a child, grab Mitsuhiko's shoulders and slam him against a wall.

"W-What are you...?" Mitsuhiko protested, very confused.

"Who told you about that?!" Conan demanded.

"Huh?"

"Mitsuhiko, answer me now!" Conan barked. "Was it Ran? Did she tell you about it?"

"I-I don't get what you're...Have you really forgotten? The Professor won us all a free trip to Hong Kong!"

Conan let go of him. "Wait, huh?"

"Yeah, we've been talking about it all month!" Mitsuhiko said. "He entered his name into the raffle contest at that Chinese circus, and later he got a letter in the mail telling him that he won. Have you not been paying attention at all?"

I...do kind of remember them mentioning something to that effect, Conan thought sheepishly. And they have been having some weird conversations over the past month that didn't make sense to me. I must've been too distracted all that time.

"Uhh, Conan," Mitsuhiko said, "did you just...ask me about Ran? She's...well, she's...gone, isn't she? How could she tell me anything?"

"W-Well uh, I, uh...it must've been a...slip of the tongue!" Conan mustered.

"Huh?"

"Mitsuhiko, you know Ran-neechan was like a big sister to me," Conan said. "I still think about her a lot. Sometimes it doesn't seem like she's really gone, and I catch myself asking where she is and stuff like that, forgetting that she's no longer with us. So if you ever catch me saying something like that again..."

Mitsuhiko nodded. "I think I understand. So about the trip..."

Conan nodded. "I'll be sure to finish packing before..."

There was an awkward pause.

"Uh, when is it?" he asked sheepishly.

"The Professor said our plane leaves in five days," Mitsuhiko said. "I just came by to ask about the trip so I'll be going now."

He opened the door but then stopped and turned to face Conan once more.

"Listen, I don't know everything you're going through, but just know that you always have my back," Mitsuhiko said. "And wherever I can't do anything to help you, I'm rooting for you from the sidelines."

Conan smiled. "Thanks. That's a very grown-up thing for you to say. And, um, sorry about...you know."

"That's alright."

After Mitsuhiko left, Conan whipped out his phone, first to call Dr. Agasa and then his mom.

 **Scene Transition**

 **Three Days Later**

The man, Sadachiro Inaba, looked at the time on his smartwatch, and then his surroundings.

This was a man who always paid close attention to his dress and grooming habits. It was instinctual, of course; for human males, displays of health and wealth were conducive to success in finding a mate. But like many things, it took on a life of its own, and men took care of their appearance simply for reasons of vanity, to flaunt before each other.

Unlike most men, Sadachiro felt downright comfortable in a three piece suit. He felt clean, pristine. Powerful. Energetic. More confident. He could've sworn that his mental faculties were sharper in that suit.

But now, he was in a strange position. Attached at the hip to his present position was a degree of vulnerability unfamiliar to him.

A Japanese Literature teacher at a prep school for kids from well-off families, he'd recently mustered up the nerve to ask out the barrista at a local coffee shop, a woman who he'd been buying his favorite caffeinated beverage from for almost three years now. They interacted enough that he referred to her as "Chiharu-chan".

Having put on airs of being her superior for so long, he finally realized not too long ago that being honest about how he felt was the best, and perhaps only, way to be with that person in the way that he wanted.

And now here he was. He had foolishly given her the power to break his heart, or even to humiliate him. She was his superior now, if only for the time being.

He looked at his watch again. Chiharu was now running nearly an hour late.

Well, then again, she gave him no assurances that she would show up. For all he knew, she may've just decided not to.

"Thirty more minutes," he mumbled under his breath with a sigh.

And then, the door opened, and a woman (wearing a modestly priced velvet red knee-length dress that exposed the shoulders and collar bone area, along with lipstick and makeup to compliment her long brown hair fixed back in a ponytail) stepped inside the nice restaurant, walking past the unusually large aquarium filled with exotic and generally non-edible fish and other marine life.

Chiharu Kuramote, age 27, sat down right in front of him.

"...Sorry," she said with a nervous smile, breaking the ice. "This was just about the only nice thing in my wardrobe. I got a little preoccupied and lost track of the time."

 **Scene Transition**

And thus was the start to a nice dinner that lasted about forty minutes. Finally, Chiharu excused herself to attend to some business at home, expressing to her date her hopes that they might go out again soon. Sadachiro drove her home.

She entered her house and slammed the door behind her, sighing.

"...How'd it go?" the old man in a newsboy cap asked.

"Good," Chiharu said, suddenly in a masculine voice. "I don't think he suspected a thing."

"She" ripped a mask off "her" face, revealing that this person was in fact Shinichi Kudo. He also stood up straight, whereas before his knees were bent.

He looked at the real Chiharu, who was asleep on the couch. "How is she?"

The old man, who was the BO agent known simply as Merlot, shrugged. "She's out cold. Won't remember a thing when she wakes up. I bet she'll be more than a little confused at the way that guy acts around her next time they meet."

"I think he'll be even more confused," Shinichi said. "But phew, that was...

"Exhausting?"

"Disgusting," Shinichi corrected. "I feel so gross right now, wearing this, having been that guy's date."

That last part left a particularly bad taste in his mouth.

"Well, at least now we know you're ready," Merlot said. "I won't say I'm pleased with how long it took you to do your disguise, but I think you've definitely made progress from when we first began. You now have what it takes to carry out your duties as Rum. Now you just have to prove it to my compatriots."

Shinichi nodded. "I won't let them down."

"Good. Your flight's tomorrow, you said?"

"Yeah. I'd better go home and pack now."

"I'd recommend changing back before you leave."

"Of course."

 **Scene Transition**

 **The Next Day**

Shinichi boarded his flight at 5:20 in the evening. According to his ticket, time of arrival was 9:40 at night.

He was lucky in that his flight had been late in the day; had he been made to miss school that would've made his young friends suspicious. After all, they were all supposed to board their flights on the same day. Of course, heading to Hong Kong one day ahead of them they would've doubtlessly wondered why he wasn't there with them; the excuse he had the Professor give was that the flight that the Detective Boys would be boarding was booked to capacity, thus Conan would be taking a flight earlier in the day. Nancy would be swinging by the Professor's house sometime that night disguised as Conan (who'd helped her with the costume shortly before leaving for the airport) to present herself to the Detective Boys and provide him with an alibi.

Of the four shrunken members of their group, only Conan had an adult form suitable to try to board an international flight. Ran Mouri and Ryusuke Higo were both presumed dead, and Shiho Miyano simply could not appear in public for any reason, lest the Organization be able to track her down and kill her. So Nancy, Haibara, and Shiro would be sitting this one out, basically making this trip like one of the earliest days of the Detective Boys (ep. 4-129). Dr. Agasa would be coming with them as their legal guardian, making it 5 people who were going. Whenever they all arrived, they would be met at the airport by a guide, and later check into the "Golden Goose Hotel".

Upon arriving in Hong Kong and passing through customs, Shinichi would have until tomorrow around 4:00 PM to investigate with a free hand. After that, he would have to return to his child body and return to the airport to greet his friends, pretending that he had just arrived maybe an hour or two prior. He would probably just have to rent a motel room somewhere tonight; if he did so on the credit card provided to him by the Organization then that would also serve as hard evidence that he was indeed carrying out his mission.

He was situated in the bare middle of the plane, so he couldn't see outside a plane window, but he took that distinct popping sensation in his ears as a strong indicator that this aircraft, a Boeing 787, had taken off the ground and ascended high into the atmosphere.

He had four hours to kill. He slumped back in his seat.

I haven't been getting enough sleep lately, he thought. Maybe I should take a nap now? That way I'll be well-rested and better able to wake up early tomorrow, so that I'll have plenty of time to conduct my search then.

His prey had already shown himself to be quite elusive, and he had now sought refuge in a city with more than 7 million inhabitants. This wasn't going to be easy.

 **Scene Transition**

 _"My name is Shen Rixin. I am a journalist who was formerly employed by the Asahi Shinbun, a Japanese newspaper headquartered in Tokyo. If you are watching this, then I am dead. My unnamed associate, who has been there supporting me every step of the way in this endeavor, assured me that, should anything happen to me, they would upload this onto the internet. If I should fail in my mission, then I imagine that very few people will ever watch this. But maybe I succeeded. In either event, this video is an explanation of where I come from and an account of my actions, but perhaps more importantly this is a fail-safe measure to ensure that the truth will get out in one way or another. For whatever parties may be watching this, in the description is a link that'll take you to a massive download. If you're interested in taking a look at that, make sure you have lots of available space on your device. Anyways..._

 _I was born in the British Overseas Territory of Hong Kong on June 5, 1989. When I was just eight years old the British handed over control of Hong Kong to the communist government of mainland China. This was a controversial development: many people cheered that our city was now reunited with our brothers in China under one nation. Others were upset and afraid, because the deeds of our new overlords are well known to the world; there should be no need to elaborate on this. Of the many grotesque and tragic things that had befallen mainland China in the decades prior, only the fact of British sovereignty over Hong Kong shielded us from these. But now our future was up in the air._

 _Fortunately for us, when the Chinese government received control of Hong Kong they agreed to respect our autonomy for a period of fifty years. This means that the denizens of Hong Kong presently enjoy freedoms and protections unafforded to Chinese people who live outside the bounds of the city. For many mainlanders fleeing persecution the city became a safe haven. I was fortunate enough to enjoy a privileged childhood, not having to fear or want for anything. I always had a knack for public speaking, demonstrated by a contest that I won in high school, and for a considerable cash prize no less. That was what spurred me to become a journalist._

 _Upon graduating high school I received in the mail a scholarship inviting me to receive my higher education abroad at a Japanese university. I was excited by the prospect of studying in a foreign country and gladly accepted._

 _As I grew older, I became more aware of the shadow that loomed ominously over Hong Kong. At any moment the government could renege on its agreement and crack down on all modes of free expression even within my city. If I was to pursue a career in shedding light on corruption, it would not have been the best idea to remain within a jurisdiction where those I sought to expose could imprison me for my work._

 _So after graduation from the university in question I remained in Japan, by this time having become fluent in the language of that country, so that I would be free to say and write anything I wanted, about anyone. But as to be a journalist often requires field work, I was at an impasse. How could a person living in Japan investigate things happening under the radar in China? The answer was obviously that I couldn't. So for the time being, at least, I devoted myself to advancing the cause of government transparency in Japanese society. I found work with the Asahi Shinbun, and after several years of diligent work they finally gave me free rein to chase after the stories that I was interested in. For those of you who may accuse me of abandoning my country, know that I never pursued Japanese citizenship, as doing so would require me to renounce my Chinese citizenship. I always planned on one day returning to China so that I could give back to my home country as I did, or at least tried to do, for the Japanese nation that took me in so graciously._

 _Eventually, my digging led me to what would turn out to be only the tip of the iceberg of a massive criminal conspiracy, one with unfathomably large consequences for the human race. This is so much bigger than anything I ever thought I might uncover, even in my wildest dreams. I assumed a false name, Kenzaburo Wakatsuki, and infiltrated the ranks of the conspirators, the so-called Black Organization. After about a year and a half an opportunity showed itself for me: a large cache of digital files describing, in great detail, the operations, expenditures, and even the identities of the members of this Organization, some of whom include prominent Japanese politicians and even a former Russian naval officer. They have attempted to steal state-of-the-art weapon systems, tanks even. But even this pales in comparison to the literal doomsday device that they've sought to build, a weapon that can down the power grids of entire nations in the blink of an eye or even hijack nuclear arsenals. I still do not fully understand who these people are, as I have not had time to review the entirety of the cache that I was able to download in compressed format onto a flashdrive, b_ _ut what I do know is that "extremely dangerous" does not even begin to do justice to them. They are the worst of the worst, the lowest of the lowest. Their actual aim, their primary objective is a worldwide apocalyptic event, one that would render dead the vast majority of people alive today on planet earth. They would kill everybody, all of you, the moment it might become within their power to do so. They are evil incarnate._

 _Upon lifting the information that I did from one of their computers, I fled for my life, because I knew that they would find out what I had done within a very short time. I regarded this threat to my life so seriously that I left Japan and returned to Hong Kong. I spent the next month in hiding, scouring the deep web trying to make contact with somebody who could help me. I knew that if I simply posted the information online nobody would take it seriously: why would they, after all? No, what I needed was for this information to be presented to the world by a credible source. I made contact with a representative of Wikileaks and a real life meeting between the two of us was scheduled so that I could hand him custody of, and responsibility over, the critical information that fate has entrusted me with. As of the time that I am recording this, I am just three days shy of the scheduled meeting time._

 _In case things go sour and I don't make it, I'd just like to take this moment to thank my mom and dad for giving birth to me and raising me for all those years. I wouldn't be here if not for you, and I'm sorry that you had a son so inconsiderate as to leave this earth before either of you. I'd like to thank Yueling for being an awesome big sis, and I hope that you're able to find somebody who'll make you happy before you hit middle age, because you deserve it. There are other people as well, a whole lot of people, but it looks like the camera battery is running low, so...you know who you are. I love you all, even if I haven't always shown it._

 _I, Shen Rixin, humbly offer up to you this short life of mine in the name of truth, freedom, human dignity, and every good value that we hold to as a species, in the eternal struggle against those who would seek to rob us of these. Thank you for your time. So long. Farewell."_

 _Shaking, that person's hand moved the mouse to the "Upload" button and clicked._

 **Ending**

(In the Storm of my Mind by Sayuri)

On that day they trekked to the mouth of the great river

Leading the procession, the elder donning black vestments

His wrinkled face, an old, sad story etched into its creases

With a thousand yard stare, he uttered the old utterances

"Take to heart, ye of few days, what you have witnessed!"

His words carried no weight as we played quietly in the back

The years passed, and our style of play grew more refined

Anywhere, anytime, you were the only company I needed

But watching you gasp for air was a sudden slap in the face

It was from then that I could hear the crescendo of the bells

Trapped in the storm of my mind none can hear me scream

I know our bodies shall be threshed at the foot of the altar

And our ashes sprinkled on the lips of the grinning demon

This happy dream is naught but the vapors of a dying flame

I want to cherish these moments always, but I am reminded

The strongest among us must yield to the turning of the hour

Its ticking, like nails on a chalkboard, like cascading thunder

The stroke of midnight shall do us apart, forever and ever.


	2. Chapter 2

*knock knock knock*

He opened his eyes. Could've sworn he heard somebody at the door just then.

"waaaaah shi fuuh"

Or, at least, that's what it sounded like to him.

It took a moment for him to remember that he was in a foreign country.

Having simply fallen asleep on top of the sheets, he got out of bed and answered the door.

Satisfied that he was up, the woman at the door walked past him towards the next room.

He closed the door and looked at the time on the clock on the wall.

10 o'clock?! he realized. Well, I still have another five to six hours. And in any case I remember reading a study that said when you go to sleep in strange places half of your brain doesn't get as much rest.

Last night Shinichi landed in the Hong Kong International Airport. After walking out with his bags and using his credit card given to him by the BO to purchase equivalent to $5,000 USD in Hong Kong currency, he went to a spot where taxi cabs came and went. Recording license plates to avoid redundancies, he first paid drivers for their time and then asked them if in the past month they'd taken a passenger who matched the picture that he showed them. The man, of course, was Shen Rixin, his target.

To his knowledge, Shen Rixin had arrived in Hong Kong around 1 PM on that day roughly one month ago. This person spoke perfect Chinese, was likely traveling alone, had Japanese currency in his wallet, flagged said taxi down probably sometime in the afternoon, and was wearing a green flannel shirt.

As he did not know but very rudimentary Chinese, he had to ask the drivers these questions in English. Some of them spoke poor English, which frustrated matters. Nonetheless, at 1:12 AM local time (or 2:12 to his perspective, factoring in jet lag) he finally got a match. He asked the driver of that cab where his passenger had wanted to go, and the driver gave him an address. By this time he'd spent nearly $1,200 USD simply to be able to ask enough people to get this information. Still, all things considered he got one heck of a lucky break.

Afterwards, he had another driver take him to any nearby motel. Then he paid the front desk for a room and hit the sack the second his body landed on the bed.

Well rested enough, he took out his phone and looked at the street number that he wrote down. He sighed.

Alright, time to get to work, he thought.

 **Opening**

(Angel Night by Psy-S, an opening to City Hunter, performed here by Garnet Crow)

(To act decisively is a prerequisite to victory! Seize the day or die trying! An assignment overseas! A summoning by the people I hate to carry out my biggest mission yet! Working with my allies can we turn this into a major blow to the Men in Black? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is DETECTIVE CONAN!)

 _I_ _rumine shon mashita ni mioroshi_

 _Yoru wo nobotte ku ESCALATOR_

 _Kooritsuita BIRU no tanima wo_

 _HEADLIGHT no kawa ga nagareru_

 _Saisho ni suki ni natta no wa koe_

 _Sore kara senaka to totonoerareta yubisuki_

 _Tokidoki damarigachi ni naru kuse_

 _Dokoka e itte shimau kokoro to MELODY_

 _ANGEL VOICE na wo yonde mimi sumasu ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE kaze ni chiru hanabira to KISS_

 _ANGEL VOICE atarashii natsukashii ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE isogazu ni ari no mama KISS_

 **Flight of the White Hat! Part Two!**

He opened the door to the small office with no windows and stepped inside.

The man leaning back behind the desk put his phone down, eat straight up, and muttered something in Chinese angrily.

 _"Ni hao_ ," Shinichi said. " _I am a foreigner who cannot speak Chinese. Do you understand English?_ "

The man said something into the phone and then hung up.

" _Yeah_ ," he said in surprisingly crisp English. " _What's this about? Are you looking to rent a flat?_ "

" _Actually, I am here to ask about a man who might be a tenant of yours._ "

" _Oh_?"

" _His name is Shen Rixin_ ," Shinichi said. " _Does that name sound familiar to you?_ "

The landlord shrugged. " _I dunno. Should it? I don't usually deal with the tenants myself. I have people for that. But I guess I can check the books. Just give me a minute._ "

One minute later he returned.

" _Yup, looks like there is a Shen Rixin who came here a month ago, made a lump payment for three months' worth._ "

Three months worth, Shinichi thought. Yeah, sure he did. I know what's going on here.

" _Thank you for your time_ ," he said, walking out.

" _Wait, don'tcha want his room number_?"

" _No thanks,_ " Shinichi said. " _I don't plan on going inside there._ "

 **Scene Transition**

"Whoa..."

"You can do it, Genta!" Ayumi cheered.

"Hurry up, there are people waiting on you to board!" Mitsuhiko said.

Swallowing, Genta stepped across the short "bridge" connecting the plane with the enclosed hallway leading to or from the plane.

They found their seats in the economy class section of the plane and set down their bags under those in front of theirs.

Several minutes later, it seemed as though everybody had finished boarding and getting settled in their seats.

"Wait, hold on," Mitsuhiko said, pointing to a seat several feet away. "What's with that?"

"...Huh, you're right," Genta said. "There's nobody there. Wasn't this supposed to be an overbooked flight?"

They turned to the Professor.

"M-Maybe that seat belongs to somebody who overslept," Dr. Agasa suggested.

"And see, there's another one over there!" Ayumi said, pointing to a second empty seat.

"Why are you asking me?" Dr. Agasa said, flustered. "Maybe the people who arranged for our trip just made a mistake."

"Boy, it's really a shame that Ai-chan, Nancy-chan, and Shiro-kun didn't want to come with us," Ayumi said.

"Man, that's just stupid!" Genta said. "Who wouldn't want to go to something like this?"

"Um, I can't account for Nancy and Shiro, but Ai-kun actually couldn't go," the Professor said. "She can't afford to miss any more classes. You're all going to miss one or two days on this trip, but none of you have been skipping school, so you're able to get away with this every now and then. She's not that lucky."

"So that's why," Mitsuhiko said.

The three children looked at each other, all having the same stroke of inspiration at the same time.

"Let's take some awesome pictures of Hong Kong to show them when we get back," Mitsuhiko said.

"Or better yet, Professor, could you help us buy them some souvenirs?" Ayumi asked.

"As long as it's not too expensive. I'm not made of money, you know."

After all these years I still haven't finished paying off my house, he thought with exasperation.

 **Scene Transition**

 _"...So where's Ran Mouri at?" Shiro asked, sitting at the lunch table._

 _"You know, it doesn't help for you to keep saying her name out loud in a public setting," Haibara said._

 _"Yeah, well, I doubt anyone here knew her."_

 _"A couple of the kids here did," Haibara said. "Up until about two months before her original death she'd been volunteering to help with the school's rhythmic gymnastics club."_

 _"We have one of those?"_

 _"Oh yeah. They even let boys try out for it nowadays. Why? You interested?"_

 _"Oh sure. Because prancing around in tights just sounds so appealing to me."_

 _"What do you think American football is?"_

 _"Good thing I was a soccer player instead. So where is she? Ra-uh, Nancy."_

 _"She's helping a second grader with his homework," Haibara said. "They're meeting in the library right now for that."_

 _"Ah. Okay. Makes sense."_

 _There was a pause._

 _"...Alright, I'm just gonna come out and say it," Haibara said. "I wanna know."_

 _"Sure. What exactly?"_

 _"What you said then," Haibara said. "At that Chinese circus back then. You said you think I might be a prisoner here like you. Why? What gave you that impression? I ran away from the Organization, right when they were about to kill me. Why wouldn't you think that I willingly gave myself up to the FBI?"_

 _"Did you?"_

 _"No, first I turned to Edogawa-kun. The FBI came later."_

 _"Fair enough. To answer your question, I just didn't peg you as being an independent player in all this."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"I mean, Kudo hardly tells you anything about what's going on with the BO."_

 _"BO?"_

 _"Yeah. It's an abbreviation."_

(Author's Note: In actual Japanese, the abbreviation would've been something more like "KnS". But that's neither here nor there.)

 _"Clever. As for your point..."_

 _But she didn't proceed to say anything afterwards. She just sat there in silence for ten seconds._

 _"What? What about it?"_

 _"I-I'm not anybody's prisoner, alright?" she snapped._

 _"Alright then. Sheesh. But you gotta admit..."_

 _Haibara groaned._

 _"You gotta admit," Shiro continued, "Your situation isn't a whole lot better than mine."_

 _"That's not true!" she burst, standing up._

 _Several other students were now staring at her._

 _But she didn't care, except to lower her voice a little bit._

 _"There are people here who care about me," she said._

 _"Like your Professor?"_

 _"Y-Yeah..."_

 _Shiro nodded. "I get that. He's probably the closest thing to a father you have. I don't deny that, having seen the way you two interact, there is a bond between you and him. But still, that doesn't really negate what I've said, does it? Kudo's trying to take down the Organization. He's surrounded himself with all these people who're in on this plan as well. They share information with each other but not with you. You're out of the loop. If you ask me, Kudo doesn't respect you. And even your Professor is in on it with Kudo but he doesn't share info with you either. They've all excluded you from the decision-making process. That is to say, you're in their custody, but not on their team. That's what I've been observing to be the case ever since I was forced over to their side, but I have a feeling it's always been like this, hasn't it?"_

 _"...What do you want?" Haibara asked. "You're trying to manipulate me, aren't you?"_

 _"Well, yeah. That's what people do. They manipulate each other. It isn't always a bad thing."_

 _"What do you want?" she asked again._

 _"You and me. Let's just go. Let's just run away, somewhere far from here, where we don't have to worry about anyone breathing down our necks or telling us what to do. We can just be whoever we want. We can be free at long last."_

 _He noticed the uncertainty on her face._

 _"Look, I'm just like you, okay?" Shiro said. "All my life the terms of my existence have been dictated by other people. All my biggest regrets in life are things I was made to do. And I'll admit, I'm no saint either. I did exactly what they told me to do. Never questioned orders. That's what pushed me to align myself with that woman, who promised to break down all hierarchies and make a world without rules. I realize now that was wrong, but I know that what I've been feeling is perfectly natural. Shiho, come with me. We won't have to live for anybody but ourselves."_

 _There was an awkward pause as Shiro realized that he'd clasped her hand._

 _He let go of it and buried his in his pocket. They were both blushing._

 _"I...I can't," she said, looking down._

 _"But why? Are you afraid of what'll happen?"_

 _"I can't go because..."_

 _She looked up at him. "Because this is my home!"_

 _He swallowed. "Are you sure about this?"_

 _"Yeah," she said. "I'm sure. I may not be part of a team, but I am part of a family. As long as I remain here, I'll do what I can protect my friends. Ayumi-chan, Mitsuhiko-kun, Genta-kun, the Professor, Edogawa-kun, Ran-chan...as long as I can be with them and know that they're safe, I have everything and everyone that I need. If you want to go...well, I'd hate to see you go, but it's your life and I won't stop you."_

 _He smirked. "Nah. I think I'll stick around a little while longer, at least."_

 _And then he sighed. "As long as I'm here, though, I might as well be looking out for them as well. I think by all this time it's safe for me to say that they're my friends too. So...how do we do that? With that person hanging around here, with the several instances that I've been approached by the men in black ever since I-_

 _"Wait, WHAT?!"_

 _"Keep your voice down, will you?" Shiro said. "Yeah, they've been wanting to know whether or not I'm their man. My corpse was cremated, I imagine, but I think a simple DNA test of the bone urn will find that somebody else's remains are interred within. I have no idea how far they've managed to investigate the matter so far: I imagine that they would've assigned the investigation of such to Kudo."_

 _Haibara shook her head. "No, they wouldn't. Kudo-kun was the one who killed you. So that would've been a conflict of interest they couldn't afford. They haven't clued him in on Mezcal's investigation of this school: he had to find this out from one of our undercover agents within the Organization. When it surfaced that you might not be dead, that was a blow to their trust in Kudo-kun."_

 _"Does he realize this?" Shiro asked._

 _"I think so, yeah. But I don't think he knows who Mezcal is. And I'd like for it to stay that way."_

 _"Hmph, I don't think you've thought this through carefully."_

 _"Huh?"_

 _"Nobody would be threatened by Kudo and the FBI knowing Mezcal's identity," Shiro said. "It's what they do with that knowledge that matters."_

 _"That's just it," Haibara said. "I'm afraid of what they'd do with that knowledge. There's no point in knowing if they're not going to do anything about it. But if they do act on it, then Mezcal's gonna know that I told them, and then..."_

 _She didn't have to elaborate, as Shiro knew exactly what was at stake._

 _The bell rang. It was time to return to class._

 _They got up, emptied their trays, and left the cafeteria without saying another word._

 **Scene Transition**

He stepped off of the bus.

A far cry from the normal hustle and bustle of a city as densely packed as Hong Kong, Fairview Park was just about the closest thing Hong Kong had to an American-style middle class suburban neighborhood. It was pretty peaceful. Then again, few people could afford to live in an area like this, so...

Many of the homes were gated. Nonetheless, Shinichi did not expect to be storming a barricaded property anytime soon.

He looked at his phone. The time was 11:30. He had four and a half hours to conclude his business and return to the airport.

Calm yourself, he thought. You're making good time. Now to find the home with the listed address...

He walked down the street, looking at the street numbers.

Twenty five Minutes Later...

Having found it at last, he swallowed. He wasn't able to bring a gun with him into the country, so by and large he was just gonna have to improvise, should things take a turn for the nasty. Given that Rixin presumably had current files on all the BO members, he couldn't expect that the Chinese defector would let his guard down just because Shinichi was a teenager. It was even possible that Rixin was expecting a teenage boy.

A car was parked nearby. Shinichi walked past the open gate and knocked on the front door.

I don't see any cameras, Shinichi thought, looking around. If it's really been over a month then surely I'm not the first human to come knocking. Most likely he's gonna come up to the door first, look through the peephole, and then decide whether to run. As long as I can hear him approaching first, I may be able to run around the back and intercept him as he tries to flee...oh man, I'm feeling crazy jittery.

He was downright shocked when the door opened. A woman, early to mid 30s, stood there to meet him.

Shinichi knew that this woman was probably Shen Yueling (age 34), Rixin's older sister, a heart surgeon at the PLA garrison military hospital at Gun Club Hill Barracks.

She looked at him, uneasy.

Has she been...crying? Shinichi thought.

" _Ni shi shui_?" she asked.

That is, "Who are you?" Of course, Shinichi didn't know for sure, but he inferred that that was probably what she was saying.

" _Hello_ ," he said in English. " _Are you Shen Yueling_?"

" _Who are you_?" she repeated, though in English this time.

Alright, time to tell a big fib, he thought. I just hope this one flies.

" _My name is Bob Jeong_ ," he said. " _I'm from Australia_."

For a second he considered saying that he was from South Korea. However, he decided against it upon realizing that she could've called him out on this by asking him to say a simple sentence in Korean. His English was imperfect, and had a clear accent. However, it was well-known that Australian English was difference from, say, American English, simply based on different dialects and slang. As long as she wasn't very highly fluent to the point of having lived in a country like the United States (or worse, Australia), he figured he could probably get away with it. In retrospect, he probably could've given himself a Japanese surname since he was claiming to be Australian, but if she was harboring her brother as Shinichi suspected then him doing so would certainly raise red flags with her.

" _What do you want?_ " she asked.

He swallowed again. " _Are you Shen Yueling?_ "

" _...Yes. I am. What do you want?_ "

" _Can I come in_?"

" _No, you cannot. What a rude thing to ask._ "

Oh yeah, now I got it, he thought with a smirk.

" _Please, ma'am, I am a salesman. My company has a great new product that we'd like to offer you. It'll only take one minute of your time._ "

" _Are you armed_?" she asked.

Armed? he thought. Yeah, I have arms. What's that got to do with-

Firearm

Oh dang it, that's right, he thought. It would make sense in that context.

" _No, I have no gun,_ " he said. " _Please let me in so I can tell me about my company's product._ "

Instead of answering, Yueling put her hands on his hips and belt and began feeling around. Taken back at first, he then realized why she was doing this and then stood still while she conducted her search.

Satisfied, she nodded, sniffling. " _Come in._ "

Asking about guns, he noted mentally. She's definitely keeping an eye open for some shady character. I have a good feeling about this place.

As soon as he was let inside, he instantly went and took a good short walk around it, and around its various rooms. It was only one story in height, though he saw an attic door in the hallway past the kitchen.

But holy cow is it hot in here, he thought. Does she not have the AC blowing or-

" _What are you doing?_ " Yueling demanded. " _Why are you searching my house?_ "

"Huh?"

" _Show me your business card. Now._ "

" _Oh shoot. I must've left it at home_ ," Shinichi said weakly.

" _So you're him, huh?_ "

" _Who are you talking ab-_ "

Yueling suddenly slammed him against the wall.

" _What have you been doing in my home?!_ " she demanded. " _Who are you?!_ "

" _I am a salesperson for Homeowners' Insurance,_ " Shinichi lied.

" _Don't lie,_ " she said. " _You're not like other burglars, I'll give you that. Why my home? Why do you keep coming here?!_ "

" _Listen, I swear I don't know what you are talking about,_ " Shinichi said. " _I've never been here before today._ "

Yueling hesitated.

" _Why? Has your house been broken into?_ " Shinichi asked, genuinely curious now. " _I can help._ "

" _No you can't,_ " she said, exasperation coming out in her voice. " _Nobody can help me. I'm gonna die._ "

" _Yes I can,_ " Shinichi said, more firmly this time. " _Because I am the best of the best. There's no mystery that I cannot solve._ "

She let go of him. "So that makes you some kind of...?"

" _Detective. The name's Shinichi Kudo, at your service._ "

 **Ending**

(In the Storm of my Mind by Sayuri)

On that day they trekked to the mouth of the great river

Leading the procession, the elder donning black vestments

His wrinkled face, an old, sad story etched into its creases

With a thousand yard stare, he uttered the old utterances

"Take to heart, ye of few days, what you have witnessed!"

His words carried no weight as we played quietly in the back

The years passed, and our style of play grew more refined

Anywhere, anytime, you were the only company I needed

But watching you gasp for air was a sudden slap in the face

It was from then that I could hear the crescendo of the bells

Trapped in the storm of my mind none can hear me scream

I know our bodies shall be threshed at the foot of the altar

And our ashes sprinkled on the lips of the grinning demon

This happy dream is naught but the vapors of a dying flame

I want to cherish these moments always, but I am reminded

The strongest among us must yield to the turning of the hour

Its ticking, like nails on a chalkboard, like cascading thunder

The stroke of midnight shall do us apart, forever and ever.

 **Next Time** :

(Taken by his detective's curiosity Shinichi Kudo, AKA Cognac, AKA Rum, now has two mysteries to solve. But time is running out, and when dealing with the Men in Black, failure can prove deadlier than a cornered serpent. The clock is ticking! How will this end?)

Flight of the White Hat! Part Three!


	3. Chapter 3

_He examined the tires of the surveillance van._

 _"Well?" his partner asked._

 _Rixin shook his head. "It's flat. The spare's in the trunk, right?"_

 _His partner checked. "Yup. Just gimme a second."_

 _He climbed out of the car and walked to the back of the van, which was pulled over on the shoulder. They opened the trunk door._

 _I can't believe my luck, Rixin thought bitterly._

 _Four weeks ago, they'd been tipped by an office secretary employed at the main building of the Mitsuzaki Group (a freight shipping company), who painstakingly re-assembled some shredded papers that, as it turned out, were some very suspicious sounding letters and documents, some of which had been forwarded to and even sent by the company president, some of which implied profit margins and sources of revenue inconsistent with those stated on the company's tax returns. After analyzing the papers, Rixin and his peers came to suspect that the company was involved in some kind of illegal profiteering scheme._

 _They'd been clandestinely observing the company president ever since; a few days prior they came across a lucky break when he apparently received a letter from an unknown party stating that they had some sort of compromising info, probably about the illegal activities suspected, and that he ought to meet them today at an amusement park called Tropical Land to pay a ransom of 300 million Yen for it._

 _Tropical Land: a fun sounding place, or so Rixin thought. What wasn't fun, of course, was having to replace a tire all the while worrying that he might miss the meeting._

 _But as fate would have it, he and his partner would not be late, because the company president would be made to wait alone that night for two hours. Little did Rixin know that the events of tonight would set off a chain of events that would fundamentally alter the course of his life._

 **Scene Transition**

 **Present Day** (2021)

As soon as he was let inside, he instantly went and took a good short walk around it, and around its various rooms. It was only one story in height, though he saw an attic door in the hallway past the kitchen.

But holy cow is it hot in here, he thought. Does she not have the AC blowing or-

" _What are you doing?_ " Yueling demanded. " _Why are you searching my house?_ "

"Huh?"

" _Show me your business card. Now._ "

" _Oh shoot. I must've left it at home_ ," Shinichi said weakly.

" _So you're him, huh?_ "

" _Who are you talking ab-_ "

Yueling suddenly slammed him against the wall.

" _What have you been doing in my home?!_ " she demanded. " _Who are you?!_ "

" _I am a salesperson for Homeowners' Insurance,_ " Shinichi lied.

" _Don't lie,_ " she said. " _You're not like other burglars, I'll give you that. Why my home? Why do you keep coming here?!_ "

" _Listen, I swear I don't know what you are talking about,_ " Shinichi said. " _I've never been here before today._ "

Yueling hesitated.

" _Why? Has your house been broken into?_ " Shinichi asked, genuinely curious now. " _I can help._ "

" _No you can't,_ " she said, exasperation coming out in her voice. " _Nobody can help me. I'm gonna die._ "

" _Yes I can,_ " Shinichi said, more firmly this time. " _Because I am the best of the best. There's no mystery that I cannot solve._ "

She let go of him. " _So that makes you some kind of...?_ "

" _Detective. The name's Shinichi Kudo, at your service._ "

 **Opening**

(Angel Night by Psy-S, an opening to City Hunter, performed here by Garnet Crow)

(To act decisively is a prerequisite to victory! Seize the day or die trying! An assignment overseas! A summoning by the people I hate to carry out my biggest mission yet! Working with my allies can we turn this into a major blow to the Men in Black? Perceiving the one and only truth! With the body of a child but the mind of an adult, my name is DETECTIVE CONAN!)

 _I_ _rumine shon mashita ni mioroshi_

 _Yoru wo nobotte ku ESCALATOR_

 _Kooritsuita BIRU no tanima wo_

 _HEADLIGHT no kawa ga nagareru_

 _Saisho ni suki ni natta no wa koe_

 _Sore kara senaka to totonoerareta yubisuki_

 _Tokidoki damarigachi ni naru kuse_

 _Dokoka e itte shimau kokoro to MELODY_

 _ANGEL VOICE na wo yonde mimi sumasu ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE kaze ni chiru hanabira to KISS_

 _ANGEL VOICE atarashii natsukashii ECHO_

 _SHINING SMILE isogazu ni ari no mama KISS_

 **Flight of the White Hat! Part Three!**

Having placed his order he plopped his body down in the same booth as his contact, where they'd be afforded some miniscule amount of privacy.

"Are you my contact?" Jacob Thijssen, age 41, a brown-haired European with a beard covering his whole chin, asked in perfect Chinese.

"That depends," the man in the hoodie said. "Are you with Wikileaks?"

Jacob nodded. "Nice to meet you, Shen Rixin."

He extended his hand, and Rixin shook it.

Jacob looked around. "Considering that this whole setup has the feel of a spy movie, a McRonald's is just about the last place where I'd expect us to meet."

"What can I say? I'm kind of broke at the moment."

"Fair enough. I'm not complaining or anything. I frequently ate ramen out of a carton in college."

"is that when you joined Wikileaks?" Rixin asked.

Jacob shook his head. "No, I started my freshman year of college way back in '97. That tiny baby internet that existed at the time didn't have anything as neat as Wikileaks, which didn't come into existence until 2006. I was involved in a lot of activism, especially after the start of the War on Terror. In 2009 my frustrations with the powers that be reached a boiling point, and I grouped up with Anonymous. Together we pulled off some noteworthy stunts, but as time went by I came to see them increasingly as juvenile and without purpose. I mean, I was in it because I wanted to see real change in our world, not primarily for 'the lulz', which is the mindset a lot of them have. So in 2014 I left them and joined Wikileaks. They stand for a lot of the same things you do. You should consider working for them. I'd love to have you as a colleague."

"Your Chinese really is impeccable, by the way," Rixin said. "Where did you say you were from?"

"I've spent most of my life in Anderlecht, Belgium," Jacob said. "A little out of the way from the big commercial and technological centers but I do most of my work online, so...yeah. I can speak Dutch, French, English, Mandarin, Russian, and a little bit of Spanish and Japanese."

"But enough about me," Jacob continued. "Your story really is amazing. The things you've seen, the sacrifices you've made...I just have one question. Why? Why is this so important to you? That you would have gone through all this?"

"Oh. That?" Rixin said modestly. "I'm not sure if I can really explain this, but...in my life I've been blessed enough to get to know some really wonderful people. There are people who I've admired, people who I'm grateful to, and people who I've loved. These are truly flowers in the garden that is our earth. And I know that there are plenty of others like them. My purpose is to keep that garden a safe place for all such flowers. These people shouldn't have to live in fear."

"You, sir, are one of those flowers," Jacob said.

Disregarding that compliment, Rixin reached into his pocket and took it out, placing it on the table.

It was a USB stick.

"Be exceedingly careful not to lose this," Rixin said.

Jacob received it graciously. "It is kind of funny, though, when you think about it: I came all the way to Hong Kong just to receive this little bitty thing."

"Such is the wonder of modern technology," Rixin said. "That 'little bitty thing' has a small library's worth of data."

"Huh. Is it compressed?"

"Yeah. Unfortunately I'm sure it'll take your people a while to sift through it and confirm its authenticity."

"That's understandable. I'm sure they'll get right on it when I deliver it to them."

Rixin nodded. "Thanks for believing me enough to fly down here. I know my story must seem kind of wild."

Jacob sighed. "I'm just doing my duty. But I will admit, I was excited to get the chance to see Hong Kong in person. It's a fascinating city."

"Oh? And what's struck your fancy the most so far? We're not well known for our distinctive architecture or magnificent temples."

"Mainly, the outdoor markets. It just smacks of authenticity."

"Spoken like a true tourist," Rixin said.

" _Amen_."

They had a laugh over that.

*mmmmphr*

"Hmm?" Jacob said. "I definitely didn't expect you to bring a phone to this meeting."

"My associate made me bring it," Rixin said. "She insisted I call her as soon as this is over."

He took it out and opened the text.

His eyes widened.

 **Scene Transition**

" _Alright_ ," Shinichi said, leaning against the kitchen countertop. " _You can start by telling me about the break-in. Or, rather, several break-ins, based on what you said._ "

Yueling nodded. " _The first was about five days ago. Or, rather, it was at night. I heard something moving around here in the kitchen. Then a glass shattered, and I went to, uh, go check on it. But then I heard the front door opening. I went to go take a look, and sure enough the burglar had left it open as he fled._ "

" _Did you get a look at him?_ "

Yueling shook her head. " _No. It even took me a few seconds to realize that I'd been burglarized._ "

" _Was anything stolen?_ " Shinichi asked.

" _No, not to my knowledge."_

" _Did you call the police?_ "

" _No._ "

Alright, that's enough to confirm my suspicions, Shinichi thought.

He looked up.

" _What are you doing?_ " Yueling asked.

" _N-Nothing,_ " he responded. " _Was there anything unusual you noticed?_ "

" _Well, yes, there was that one thing,_ " she said. " _Come with me._ "

They went out the front door and looked at the lock on the outside of it.

" _I always keep this locked at night,_ " she said. " _I know that it's not safe to leave it unlocked when I live in a big city, so..._

He nodded. " _And it doesn't look like the lock's been picked. That would've left scratch marks. So the question, is, how did he...?_

And then he saw it.

He crouched down and peeped his head through the doggy door.

" _I take it you have a dog?_ " he asked.

" _Um, yeah,_ " she said. " _His name is Gou. it's funny though, because he behaves more like a cat._ "

" _How so?_ "

" _He leaves the house for long stretches of time and I don't see him again until the next morning, when I find him asleep on the couch._ "

" _And he must not be that large either,_ " Shinichi said. " _But why is this doggy door situated where it is?_ "

It was on the bottom left corner, whereas the doorknob was on the right side, at about the height where one'd expect a doorknob to be.

" _You probably already have a clue why,"_ Yueling said. " _So that a burglar can't stick his arm in and unlock the door. Try it. It's too far away. Nobody's arm is that long, right? Or at least, nobody around here._ "

" _Still_ ," he said, " _it seems like a slim woman could maybe fit her body through here, even if it were somewhat of a tight squeeze._ "

Yueling nodded. " _In all likelihood any prospective burglar is going to be a man. That's what I was thinking when I had this installed when I adopted Gou._ "

" _Oh? From an animal shelter?_ "

" _Yeah. Poor thing, his last owner would throw shoes at him, or so I was told. I guess that's why he prefers to spend his days alone._ "

" _So you leave the doggy door unlocked all night so that Gou can come in late at night?_ "

" _That's correct. And also, this doggy door doesn't come with a locking mechanism. I guess I could just make him stay inside all the time, but that's no life for a dog, and at any rate it would take some time and money to have the door replaced, and I'm kind of living paycheck to paycheck right now. Have to pay off this expensive house._ "

" _And where did you say you worked at?_ "

" _I work as a heart surgeon at the Gun Club Hill Barracks Military Hospital. For the healthcare needs of the local PLA garrison soldiers. And I didn't mention this before._ "

Shinichi nodded uneasily. " _How long have you worked there?_ "

" _About three years now."_

" _And when did you adopt Gou?_ "

" _About two months ago. You don't...you don't think this is about him, do you?_ "

" _I don't know. Can I see him?_ "

" _He's out right now. But I have a picture I can show you of him._ "

" _By all means._ "

He followed her to her bedroom, where she opened a drawer and pulled out a photo of Gou. She showed it to him.

Hmm, doesn't look like he's any kind of rare breed, Shinichi thought.

He handed it back to her.

" _By the way,_ " he said, peering in for a closer look, " _I can't help but notice that you keep your car keys in that trophy cup there._ "

She nodded. " _It's just something I got for several years of good performance at a piano competition that my parents made me do when I was a kid._ "

" _So you don't keep your keys near the front door of your house?_ "

" _No. I feel more comfortable with them here._ "

He nodded. " _So tell me about the second break-in._ "

" _It happened last night. Same as the first time, but I'd been kind of freaking out after the first one so this time I was on guard and rushed quickly to the kitchen. I managed to get a slight glimpse of the burglar, but he was wearing a thick coat and I think a balaclava. Once again he fled out the front door._ "

" _Was there anything unusual that you noticed?_ "

" _Unusual? No, not r-_

And then it hit her. " _That's right, come to think of it, I swear I heard the door unlocking right before he opened it._ "

" _Before we continue, what other entrances to this house are there?_ "

" _There's one other door. But I wouldn't even consider the culprit as having come in through there._ "

" _Because the door swings inward and there's that big piano blocking it. Right. I almost forgot._ "

" _So don't you think it's weird?_ " Yueling asked.

" _That the door was locked right before he went out it? Certainly I do. It leaves us with only two options: first, that he entered the house by means other than the front door, and he didn't think to unlock it after he got inside the house. Second, that he entered through the front door and then deliberate locked it afterwards. I didn't see any of your windows to be broken, and I assume you keep them locked like any normal person would, so..._ "

He walked back to where the front door was. " _They must've come in through here. Through the doggy door._ "

 **Scene Transition**

"She's coming this way," Mitsuhiko reported.

"Alright," Genta said. "I'm gonna order a root beer. Not sure how if I'll like it but I've never had one."

"It's possible that they might not have that," Dr. Agasa said. "This may be an American flight, but that doesn't necessarily mean they'll have a very wide selection of drinks. Just order a Popsi or something."

"It doesn't hurt to ask, though, would it?" Genta said.

Ayumi looked once more at the brochure advertising the Zodiac Circus. Supposedly, the show in Hong Kong was going to be even bigger and more impressive than the one in Tokyo.

A foreign country, she thought incredulously. We're going to a foreign country. I hope I don't get lost.

The kids at our school are gonna be so jealous, Genta thought.

I hope Shinichi's not coming across any problems, the Professor thought.

 **Scene Transition**

" _T-Through there?_ " Yueling said. " _Are you sure?_ "

Shinichi bent down and stuck his head partway through it. After a few seconds he took a sniff.

Then he stood up. " _Yup, I'm sure._ "

Curious, Yueling bent down and also took a sniff.

" _That's women's deodorant, right?_ " she said.

" _Yeah, but this person wasn't a woman,_ " Shinichi said. ' _They just want us to think that._ "

" _Huh?_ "

" _Think about it,_ " he said. " _Most likely they would've come in headfirst, right? So that you can see what's going on on the other end while you're going through. And also just because that's how people would normally think to do it. That's one tight squeeze. Most likely they'd try to come in at an angle or so to speak, one arm extended forwards. Then, after both their head and that arm was through, they'd pivoted their bodies and squeeze the other arm through. Then the rest would be somewhat easier, provided they weren't fat._ "

" _I'm not following._ "

" _So one would expect the traces of deodorant to be imprinted onto the mid-part of the doggie door frame. Instead, it seems like they dabbed it on the outside frame, on the outside of the door. They weren't thinking this through very well when they applied it. This is unnatural._ "

" _Okay, but how do you know for sure? If it was a man, are we to assume that he was just small enough to fit through here?_ "

" _He was not super thin, if that's what you mean. He needed some help to make the squeeze._ "

" _Huh?_ "

" _Look here._ "

He pointed to a fairly large stain on the wall near the door.

" _Has that always been there? How would a stain even get in a place like that?_ "

" _Hmm. That's a good point. But how can you tell by that?_ "

" _Do you know what that is?"_

" _No, I don't. What is it?_ "

" _Most likely, it's some kind of lubricant. For the human body, to reduce friction when engaged in_ -

" _Alright, alright, I get the idea!_ " she said, blushing slightly.

" _I think I've put it all together now_ ," Shinichi said. " _More or less, anyways. Here's what happened: he came here, with the lubricant material already applied to his body. With this, he managed to slip through the doggy door. Then he reached his hand through the door and brought in a towel and removed all traces of the substance from the door, and then brought in a jacket, which he put on to mask his build should he be spotted. He slung the now-dirty towel across his shoulder and set about finding what he came here to find. That stain right there is approximately at the same place on the wall as you'd expect it to be if, rushing towards the door in his desperation to escape, the culprit leaned towards the wall ever so slightly so that some of the towel's still relatively fresh contents got on it. There should be another proof as well._ "

He opened the door, stepped outside, and looked at the outside of the doggie door.

" _Yup_ ," he said. " _Some lubricant got on the outside of the door, and since he was inside the house he did a poor job wiping this off with the towel. There's a stain right there._ "

He pointed.

Yueling got a close look, and then they stepped back inside, closing the door behind them.

She nodded. " _I think I believe what you're saying. It seems to all check out. But you still haven't answered the big question: what is the burglar trying to accomplish?_ "

" _Your car keys, most likely,_ " Shinichi said. " _Most likely he came in here, expecting to find the car keys hanging on the wall near the door. But when that prediction of his didn't pan out, he had to search the whole house for them._ "

" _But why does he want my car?_ " Yueling asked.

" _Yours is that Ford Lincoln parked outside, right?_ "

" _Y-Yeah?_ "

" _I noticed something peculiar about it when I passed by it earlier,_ " he said.

" _The trunk?_ "

" _Yeah. Why's it look like the trunk's welded shut?_ "

" _Because it probably is,_ " Yueling said. " _It was like that when I bought it from that guy on the internet._ "

" _Huh?_ "

" _Yeah. I bought the car about eight months ago from a guy who claimed he found it in a junkyard couple dozen miles out from the city limits, in perfect working condition. About a month ago a strange car followed me home one time. Didn't bring it up because I didn't think it was relevant until just now. I always kind of wondered...whether there was like maybe a dead body in there or something._ "

" _Well, in this case I guess you didn't need a detective,_ " Shinichi said. " _You already got that part figured out. Come on._ "

" _What are we gonna do?_ "

" _What else? Open it._ "

" _But how?_ "

" _Leave that to me,_ " he said with a cocky grin.

He went out the front door and walked to right behind where the car was.

He kneeled and activated his shoes.

He pushed the button on his belt. Out came a soccer ball, and he kicked it as hard as he could at the trunk.

The ball bounced off violently up into the air, leaving a very nasty dent in it.

When the ball came down, he kicked it once more. Once again, it did some serious damage.

Then the ball deflated. So he pushed the button on his belt again, knowing that he had three balls total.

He kicked the second ball. Once again it hit, but this time it bounced sideways.

Almost there, he thought.

He deployed his third ball, gave it another kick, and-

*THUD*

" _Presto_ ," he said.

Yueling gulped and then went to get a close look inside the large hole that Shinichi had created.

Anticipating that there was probably a body, she didn't freak out when she saw that-

There was indeed a dead body.

She stared at it for several seconds. And then:

" _...I think I know who this is,_ " she said.

" _Huh?_ "

" _Yeah. There's this Councilman, David Chung, who about two years ago was accused of colluding with a stockbroker to engage in insider trading. There was a special investigation and everything. They were about to take this guy, the stockbroker, in to testify under oath, but then he suddenly disappeared. It was a very high-profile affair._ "

" _Well, I guess you can take it from here," Shinichi said. "But if you'll excuse me for just one more minute._ "

He walked around to the very back of Yueling's house and opened up a dumpster, peering inside.

" _H-Hey, what are you doing?_ " Yueling said. " _I'm grateful and all, but that doesn't just give you the right to-_

"... _Your brother,_ " Shinichi said. " _He's allergic to fiberglass insulation, right?_ "

Yueling froze in place, unable to speak or move, not sure how to respond to this.

" _I'm willing to bet that he's up in your attic,_ " Shinichi said. " _He's been up there for about a month now. Just waiting to get into contact with some kind of whistleblower organization, like perhaps Wikileaks. You've got some exposed insulation up there. And it made him sick. So you went and removed it all, right? That's why it's so hot in your house. Don't try to deny it: it may have been a little while ago, but there's still a big piece of insulation sitting at the bottom of your dumpster._ "

" _Who are you?_ " she said. " _You can't be...more than a teenager, right?_ '

" _Your brother fled from some dangerous people,_ " he said. " _I'm one of them. I was sent here to silence him, before he could leak the files that he took. My investigation took me initially to the apartment that he rented out, but I knew that that was just a decoy: no, more like an early warning system. Most likely he had cameras set up in there, to alert him if the Men in Black broke in. That'd be his cue to get as far away from here as possible. I don't think I fell for his trap. He apparently didn't trust the local police either, likely because he didn't know how far the conspiracy went. That's why he told you not to call the police. And that's why you haven't, even as a burglar intruded upon your living space_ _twice_."

" _Well, since you can't call the police to this house then I guess you can't stop me from barging up there_ ," he continued. " _I'm sorry, but I have a job to do. There are forces at work that he doesn't understand, and I simply cannot allow those files to see the light of day._ "

She took a step back. " _No, no...! Don't you dare take a step inside my-_

" _I have to stop your brother,_ " he said. " _He's making a huge mistake. One that could jeopardize the whole world. You have to tell me: is he up there now? In your attic?_ "

Yueling hesitated.

" _Come on, answer me! This is important, d*mmit! We don't have a lot of time! Help me and I promise I'll explain later!_ "

...

" _...No, he's not here right now,_ " Yueling said finally. " _He left this morning, around ten. But you're right, he's been staying up there this past month._ "

He breathed a sigh of relief, simply because he knew he had her cooperation, though he knew the file transfer was probably taking place right now. " _Do you know where the meeting was scheduled?_ "

" _...Yeah. At the McRonald's down on-_

She gave him all the relevant information.

He nodded gratefully.

Then he began walking away, and he whipped out his phone.

 **Scene Transition**

Noting the strained expression on his contact's face, Jacob leaned in closer.

"Hey," he snapped, "what's going on? Is there trouble?"

Swallowing, Rixin showed him the text that he received:

"You know how you told me to call you if anybody came asking about that flat you rented? Well, somebody did that earlier. It was some kid. But still, just thought I'd tell you. Sorry it took me this long to respond. I had trouble finding that slip of paper with this number on it. I don't know what's going on with you, but be careful."

Jacob sighed. "That's it then, I guess. We'd better wrap this little meeting up. Nice talking to you. And again, I'll be sure that my friends get this."

"And I'll look forward to seeing it plastered all over the internet."

They shook hands, rose, and parted ways.

 **Scene Transition**

"Hello?"

"Get me through to the Boss. ASAP."

After a couple seconds, Yoko Okino picked up:

"You got good news for me, Rum?"

"Yeah," Shinichi said. "I know where he is. But listen, I need you to do a little something for me real fast."

"Hmm?"

"I know you've been working on that certain weapons' project."

"Which one?"

"The big one."

"Fair enough. What about it?"

"Well, since you have that, it'd seem kind of silly if you weren't about to track a phone for me."

"Huh? Alright, sure, we can do that if you want. Where is it?"

Shinichi told her the location.

"The name on the phone should be Jacob Thijssen," Shinichi finished.

"Alright, listen. I'm going to send you an e-mail containing a download for an app. It'll enable you to track that person's phone via GPS."

"Understood."

Shinichi hung up and then spent the next two minutes downloading the app.

Alright, he thought. There he is.

He opened his backpack and took out his skateboard, an adult-sized version.

And with that, he started it and practically blasted off, leaving a mini sonic boom behind him.

Most likely the files are in Thijssen's hands now, he thought as he operated it, the wind blowing harshly in his face and hair. I don't think he'd just send them over the internet, lest they would've just done that already. So if I can catch him before he boards a flight back to where he came from, then I can still stop this whole thing in its tracks.

Most likely Rixin instructed that Thijssen leave his phone behind for the meeting, he thought. But most likely he's not gonna just dispose of it once the meeting's done. He's gonna pick up his phone and bring it back with him. Right now it's completely stationary, about two blocks away from the meeting spot. That means their business hasn't concluded yet, but has most likely already begun. Or, it's just now ending and Thijssen hasn't yet had time to retrieve it.

"I CAN STILL MAKE IT!"

 **Scene Transition**

He was just easing back in his chair, beginning to doze off, his feet planted up on the balcony fence, a three quarters drunken glass of fine Madeira sitting to the right of such.

And then:

*mmmmmmphr*

Startled, his legs knocked the glass off.

He stood up and looked down, watching it fall approximately eight stories down.

...Well, it doesn't look like it hit anybody, Subaru Okiya thought.

He checked his phone. It was that kid calling, of course.

He answered. "Good thing you called. I was beginning to think I'd come up all this way for nothing."

"How'd you board a plane anyways?"

"I didn't. Took a boat. Was a longer trip but it's the experience that counts."

"I see..."

"What do you need?"

"I'm giving chase to my target right now. I'm gonna need you to swing by. Just in case somebody ends up dying or whatnot."

"Yeah, okay. Just make sure it's not a decapitation or something, because I don't think it can do that."

"I'll try my best," Shinichi said with a smirk in his voice.

Subaru hung up, headed inside, reached into his bag, and grabbed the bottle of pills.

 **Scene Transition**

After the last remaining passenger besides himself left, the shuttle door closed and the train was on its way to the next stop.

Being inside that wide space by himself, with the knowledge that for the next couple minutes nobody could physically enter, stirred up a sort of mischievous spirit. Jacob was always the playful type.

But of course, he just remained seated, reminding himself that he was still in hostile territory, that he wasn't in the clear just yet.

He stared out the window: the train was suspended a good height above ground level. Again, that meant nobody could get in. But he knew that at the next stop an enemy could-

*SHRREEEEE*

"What the f-

Shinichi came crashing through the shuttle window, smashing through the glass.

He stood up and faced Jacob.

"...Good, we're alone," Shinichi said in Japanese.

"Who are you?" Jacob asked in Chinese.

" _Wrong language,_ " Shinichi said. " _I am not from this country, lovely as it is. Hand over the files._ "

Jacob shook his head. " _Can't do that. The world deserves to know. The world always deserves to know._ "

" _What's on that disk is private intellectual property. Only governments have the right to take property, and only when to do so is in accordance with the law._ "

" _Private property is another word for mass exclusion,_ " Jacob retorted. " _I don't know how much the reptilian bankers are paying you, but the truth is priceless._ "

" _Reptilian bankers, huh?_ " Shinichi said with a chuckle. " _Is that who Mr. Vladimir Puten told you you're up against? As for the sentiment you've expressed, I couldn't agree more, speaking as a detective. But some things are best left unsaid. And that's why I'm here. To shut you up, because what you're doing carries unacceptable risks to the greater cause. Now, we can do this the easy way or the hard way._ "

" _How about Option C, which is that you go back to wherever the f**k you came from and I'll be on my way with the files?_ "

Shinichi fell into a fighting position. " _I really hate to do this to an innocent person._ "

" _Just shows how naive you really are, kid,_ " Jacob said, also falling back into a fighting stance. " _There are no innocent people in this world. There are only those of us who try to make amends and those of us who don't._ "

This guy, Shinichi thought. Is he trained in the martial arts too?

But then Jacob charged him.

He threw a punch. Shinichi fell backwards and avoided being hit.

Shinichi pivoted his body forwards and threw a side kick at Jacob, who dodged by lunging to the side. Shinichi's leg hanging out helplessly, Jacob moved in for the kill.

Shinichi then surprised him with an elbow strike, stunning him and causing him to step back. Shinichi thew a punch, which Jacob then blocked with his arm, throwing a punch of his own, which Shinichi also blocked.

Jacob got down low and tackled Shinichi, carrying him several yards, before they reached the wall on the opposite end, which Shinichi kicked off of to gain forwards momentum, knocking Jacob to the ground, and himself on top of Jacob.

Jacob kneed him in the groin, causing Shinichi to flinch. Jacob then threw a punch, knocking the high school detective off him.

Jacob leapt on top of him and then began punching him. Shinichi moved his head in time to dodge the first punch, but then a second punch hit him.

And then-

*wham*

Shinichi was hit again.

Managing to grab the back of Jacob's head, Shinichi suddenly pulled it in and headbutted the man.

Jacob was momentarily stunned, and Shinichi used this opportunity to trip him backwards.

Gotta finish this now, a tired Shinichi thought as he used the last of his strength to leap forwards.

Retracting his hand and balling it into a fast, he instead got a better idea.

Before Jacob could respond properly, Shinichi shot two of his fingers straight into Jacob's eyeballs.

They pierced very slightly, leaving liquid something on Shinichi's fingertips and nails. He was quick to draw them back, knowing that this battle was over.

"YAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!" Jacob screamed, rolling on the floor howling in pain, having just been blinded.

Shinichi forced his hand into Jacob's left pocket and took out the USB stick.

" _We're done here,_ " Shinichi said. " _As for your eyes, my friend can fix them for you, if you're willing to sit quietly and wait for him._ "

" _W-What are you...? That doesn't make sense. You're not-_

" _We have special ways of repairing the human body,_ " Shinichi said. " _Hopefully one day the world will be let in on it. But for the time being, you're just gonna have to take my word for it. Are you willing to wait quietly?_ "

" _Where? Here?_ "

" _No, not on the train. As soon as we stop at the next station. I'll take you somewhere where you can sit down._ "

The train began to slow down. Jacob could feel it too.

" _Do you accept my terms?_ " Shinichi asked.

" _...Yeah,_ " Jacob said. " _I guess I kind of have to, the state that I'm in right now._ "

And that was that. Shinichi led him out of the train and down onto a bench.

" _Stay right here,_ " Shinichi said. " _Later I wanna talk to you both. You and Rixin._ "

Jacob muttered something inaudible.

" _I already know where he lives, or at least where he's staying, so don't worry about me trying to coax info out of you," Shinichi said. "I'll relay some instructions to my friend and he'll tell you where to go. After he's healed you, of course. But for the time being, there's somewhere else I must be._ "

" _...The airport?_ "

Shinichi grinned. " _Yeah. Gonna spend the next couple days with some of my best buds. They're a bunch of clueless goofballs for sure, but I don't know what I'd do without 'em. I don't want to make them have to wait for me._ "

He turned to walk away.

" _Well, until later._ "

And with that, Shinichi Kudo's mission was complete.

 **Ending**

(In the Storm of my Mind by Sayuri)

On that day they trekked to the mouth of the great river

Leading the procession, the elder donning black vestments

His wrinkled face, an old, sad story etched into its creases

With a thousand yard stare, he uttered the old utterances

"Take to heart, ye of few days, what you have witnessed!"

His words carried no weight as we played quietly in the back

The years passed, and our style of play grew more refined

Anywhere, anytime, you were the only company I needed

But watching you gasp for air was a sudden slap in the face

It was from then that I could hear the crescendo of the bells

Trapped in the storm of my mind none can hear me scream

I know our bodies shall be threshed at the foot of the altar

And our ashes sprinkled on the lips of the grinning demon

This happy dream is naught but the vapors of a dying flame

I want to cherish these moments always, but I am reminded

The strongest among us must yield to the turning of the hour

Its ticking, like nails on a chalkboard, like cascading thunder

The stroke of midnight shall do us apart, forever and ever.

Walking out of the air bridge with their luggage, Mitsuhiko Ayumi and Genta were honestly kind of surprised to see Conan getting out of his seat in the waiting area and then walking over to meet them.

"How was your flight?" he asked them.

"Awful!" Mitsuhiko said. "My seat had a lump in it. My back's gonna be sore tomorrow."

"Awesome!" Genta said. "I had a root beer."

"I thought you said you didn't like it," Ayumi said.

"Eh, the second try tasted better," Genta said. "And then the third and the fourth. It's an _acquired taste_."

You're using the word wrong, Conan thought with a deadpan look.

The Professor bent down and whispered:

"So how did that business go?"

Conan reached into his pocket and took it out. The USB stick.

"Is that it?" Dr. Agasa asked, puzzled. "You came all this way just for that?"

"Yeah," Conan said. "I haven't had time to review it yet. Didn't bring a computer with me."

The Professor nodded. "I brought one. We'll check it out in the hotel room later. But other than that, you're done?"

"I think so, yeah. There's still some small business I've got to take care of, but...

He looked at the three Detective Boys and smiled. "I don't want to worry about that right now. This is my off time."

"Well, you deserve it, I guess," the Professor said with a grin. "You should've been there for the performance back in Tokyo, but they say this one's gonna be even more impressive."

"Oh? When is it?"

"Tomorrow night. Are you gonna be able to come?"

"...This is a Chinese circus, right?"

"Uh, yeah?" the Professor answered.

"A public demonstration of the potential of the human mind and body stretched to insane limits, performed by highly trained specialists in the ancient Chinese arts combined with creative modern innovations? Heck yeah. Count me in."

 **To Be Continued**

X

X

(Due to school, this fanfic series of mine will be on hiatus for the month of November. However, it will return in **Black Mass** , the four-part resolution to the Mezcal Arc. Be looking forward to it! *laughs*)


End file.
